Yukio Hiraoka
Yukio Hiraoka (平岡 由紀夫, Hiraoka Yukio) is a wandering- unaffiliated to any village, though he was born in the to the . Too young to fight in the , Yukio struggles to come to terms with living in an era of peace. As his village underwent great socio-economic changes in the post-war period, Yukio found himself growing discontent with the mercantile desires of his family and fled. Yukio is also a revered novelist and poet of the post-war period. Appearance Outwardly, Yukio retains a sickly appearance with lithe frame where his collarbone protrudes outward. Yukio boasts a mop of brittle chestnut-brown hair on his square-head. By no means 'traditionally,' handsome, Yukio greets the world with a dour expression paired with an intimidatingly harsh gaze through dirty-ice colored eyes. As an adherent to an older philosophy and lifestyle, Yukio wears a snow-white hakama and haori with a dark-blue obi. Over this, he often wears a black wool shawl where he hides various ninja tools - explosive tags, senbon, shuriken - to stave off opponents on short-notice or discretely set traps. Yukio's most distinct aesthetic is the bright yellow sun on the breast of his hakama, which also marks the entire back of his shawl. Derived from his clan's coat-of-arms, Yukio has modified the insignia to reflect his personal ideologies - that though time moves forward, the sun will never set. Personality and Character Many of the new era critics frame Yukio as a threat to the newfound peace and economic prosperity of the post-war period. However, Yukio remains vocal that the nature of mankind has been founded on the principle of blood and steel and fire long before , , or ever appeared. For Yukio, to repress the urge to wage war is to repress an instinct and lust within mankind. And from Yukio's perspective, this repression will only lead to a greater internal struggle in the future. As a child, Yukio was unable to take part in the war that supposedly 'ended all wars,' which led to a noticeable schism in a nation like the which was already at an ideological and cultural disjunction where past- ideals were obsolete compared to the way of life. No longer able to act as mediators in global conflicts, the samurai of the Land of Iron embraced a path of modernization and economic interests in the post-war period leading to great discontent among many younger generations of samurai - including that of Yukio Hiraoka. Yukio is an creative and innovative mind, who resists the waves of 'modernity,' that wash over the shinobi world. As a revered novelist and poet, Yukio's work is banned in the as 'propaganda,' against the shinobi alliance. As a result, Yukio has led to a rather tense embargo between the Lands of Iron and Lightning with a trade agreement that is still in contention. Despite being a wandering mercenary, Yukio retains a great ardor and idealism for his birthplace and the relationship is mutual as many of the upper-samurai class share his desire for social, economic, and political reformation. Abilities Despite Yukio's old-world beliefs, he boasts a diverse array of abilities that combine , , and that make him a dangerous foe on the battlefield. Though he is physically rather weak compared to many other samurai, Yukio makes up for his physical imperfection with precise chakra control, skilled acrobatics, and speed. Tachijutsu As a swordsman, Yukio wields a katana he refers to as Minae (美苗) with great proficiency. Unlike many pre- and post-war era samurai, Yukio does not often defer to coating his blade in chakra for extended range and penetration ability and relies on a balance of antiquated techniques to dominate his opponents on the battlefield. Though in the post-war period, battōjutsu (抜刀術, the art of drawing a sword) maintains a performative and non-combative place in swordsmanship, Yukio has re-militarized the style with great success and innovation. This is seen one of Yukio's signature techniques where he releases a gust of wind outward whilst drawing Minae from its sheath to quickly deflect incoming projectiles or jutsu. Yukio's keen interest in precision and timing speak to his desire to perfect the art of battōjutsu and interpolate it into the rest of his swordplay. Yukio is also versed with using a kodachi in battle, though he has not carried one on his person since his days in the . The Hiraoka clan family kodachi remains in his childhood home after he left, out of respect for his family's legacy. Minae Minae is an heirloom with a great history and reputation among samurai culture, though the sword has not been bound to the Hiraoka clan alone. Minae is said to have changed hands many times in its lifespan, rumored to have delivered the final blow to over a century prior thus earning it the name Minae (美苗) derived from the kanji for beautiful, (美) and sapling, (苗). A myriad of rumors surround the blade, which includes: that a ghost of a woman named Minae haunts the sword after being denied by Hashirama in favor of , that Hashirama's chakra is imbibed within the sword, and that the blade itself is cursed to any mortal who wield it. Of course, none of these rumors is substantiated though the sword is still revered among the samurai and citizens of the Land of Iron. During the war, the blade was said to have gone missing after being wielded by a Lieutenant-General of the Samurai deployed on the front lines. Many were surprised to see Yukio wielding the blade in the months leading up to his flight from the country and it is believed the sword's mysterious legacy was enough to stop the countries leaders from labeling Yukio as a mercenary in their bingo book. Whether or not Yukio's Minae is the original blade is also widely speculated by many of his critics. Ninjutsu Fūinjutsu Trivia